6 days until my first sprint triathlon: Dealing with anxiety.

Wow. My first sprint triathlon (Leamington) is coming up in 6 days.

I remember making the decision to do triathlons this year. I did it after having fun doing the beginner tri at the Loaring Triathlon last July.

At the time, I knew I had almost a whole year to get better  - so of course I'd be fine. Right? But it's amazing how a year puts a lot of distance between you and a goal. Doing a "real" triathlon in my head has always been a year out. And now it's just 6 days away. Strike the nervousness chord with a hammer, why don't you?

But when I decide to do something, I try and prepare myself to the best of my ability. And I've done a lot to get ready for this weekend. Like:

• On the advice of my brother, I signed up for the LPC training camp back in March, where I learned a million things about triathlon from the coaches. Besides getting my first lessons in biking (up until then, all I'd done was 500 miles on my trainer), I also got advice on how to sight in open water - a skill I've been practicing ever since. Alas, not in open water - but not much I can do about that. Open water swim sessions don't start until July!
• I went to the Toronto Triathlon Club training weekend in Collingwood and, despite the bike accident, got a lot of riding in - not to mention some swimming and some running off the bike.
• I've gone on a couple of the TTC club rides on Saturday mornings out in Markham thanks to a girl in the club who is happy to carpool in exchange for coffee. These rides have been great for getting me a bit more comfortable on the roads, especially given my twitchiness following the bike incident. It's also been great to get some advice and encouragement from the coach who leads the ride.
• In a similar vein, I did 2 50k rides this past weekend - one with the club and one with my dad/brother. No incidents on either ride - and a whole lot of stopping/un-clipping on the second ride - gave me a big confidence boost in advance of this weekend. Even my run off the bike on Saturday felt pretty good.
• I've been running - and finally, finally am picking up steam again after straining my toe back in March. It's taking me a long time since getting back to running, but I finally feel like I'm back to where I was before the injury. My speed came back pretty quick, but I felt like my endurance was off a fair bit. But I went for my first half-marathon (HM) length run since early March a week ago Sunday and it was my fastest HM training run ever. Definitely another confidence booster.

But that doesn't mean I'm not still nervous. Which is why I'm writing this post. It is utterly normal to be nervous before a race - especially a first race, or a race at a new distance (I expect similar anxiety before my first Olympic Tri in July).

So how do you deal with nerves? Well, I'll give you my top three things:

1. Set simple goals...especially for a first race. Mine are to a) Finish with a smile on my face; b) Finish without any incidents; and c) Not to come in last. Sure I'd like to do reasonably well (well being a relative term of course), but until I set a benchmark, I am not going to make any time goals. So this race is to see where my starting point is. From there I can worry about getting better!
2. Remind yourself how well prepared you are. I've been training a good 7-10 hours a week. I know I can swim, bike and run double each distance. I've had a few good brick workouts and have sponged up all the advice on triathlons and transitions that I can from other people. I've done the best I can up until now.
3. Be prepared to deal with anything that comes up. I know the weather could be terrible on race day. I know I could blow a tire (and that I'd probably spend an hour replacing it). I know there are a bunch of other things that could go wrong - and well, so what? If something goes wrong, it's not the end of the world (I hope not anyways...while zombies attacking during the bike might make me go faster, they might not be good for my long-term racing enjoyment).
4. Remember to Be Awesome Today: This mantra got me through my first half-marathon - and my second. It's gotten me through riding in the torrential rain when I was terrified. I fully expect it will continue to bring a smile to my face every time I say the words. Because being awesome isn't about winning. It's about doing. It's about living life to the full. It's about proving that anything is possible. Remember that when you need the inspiration to keep going.

Okay, that's 4 things. But remembering to be awesome isn't really about dealing with nerves...it's about remembering why you're out there. I decided to do triathlon because I realized I love training. I love racing. I love learning new things. I love proving what I'm capable of. And most of all, because I am having fun every step of the way.

And if having fun is the only measure of success - well, I am sure I'll come out a winner on Sunday!

 Wish me luck!

Toronto Triathlon Club Training Weekend...and the almost disaster

Last weekend, I went to Collingwood with the Toronto Triathlon Club for their (I guess I should say "our" now, since I'm a member. I still feel like a bit of a poser though...so bear with me).

I always knew this was going to be different from the LPC Florida Triathlon Camp - where James, Nissim, Jeff and Mark scheduled every activity around teaching, mentoring and providing dedicated help across the three sports and everything in between), but I was hoping to meet some Toronto triathletes, get some excellent training in (especially given I haven't had the spring I was hoping for training wise - what with the foot injury and the insane amount of real-life work), and also learn from fellow club members - pretty much all of whom were more advanced than me (not hard, I know).

I was fortunate to get a ride up on Friday with another TTC member, who has turned out to be one of the most awesome people in the world. She's had more than her own share of interesting experiences - and was headed to camp to settle back into training after some time away from Triathlon. We chatted the entire way there (and back), making it to Collingwood just in time to catch the tail end of the welcome session.

I was staying in a cottage with some wonderful folks - from all sorts of backgrounds. Many had done triathlon before - although not all - and a few are well on their way to prepping for some long-distance races, most notably Mt. Tremblant (I think a third or more of the folks at the training weekend are doing either the 70.3 or Ironman Mt. Tremblant races). The nice thing about everyone there though (which was a lot like the LPC camp) was that everyone was wonderful, nice and supportive - no matter how experienced or not.

That really gives me confidence that triathletes really are a good group. I had wondered if the folks at the LPC camp were just a unique bunch because of James and Co. In reality, what I've found is that triathletes, regardless of where I've met them (one day I'll mention the Starbucks encounter) have been unanimously awesome, supportive, and nice.

On Saturday, we split up into several groups for a bike ride in the morning. The weather was a bit cool, but really - perfect for riding. I joined the group planning to do 60k, which I figured would be incredibly challenging given the number of hills in Collingwood and surroundings.

And it was. I don't know what speed I was going, but it was definitely pretty slow most of the time. Fortunately, we had a nice little group going to keep each other entertained, so I didn't feel too behind or slow. Given it was my longest ride since the Florida camp, I was feeling pretty good. I'd gained a little (just a little) more confidence on the bike, and even  managed to use my aerobars for a short flat stint. We made it 50k without any problems on my part (although one girl had a bit of a tumble in her clip-in pedals...don't I know that feeling!) and I was feeling awesome about the day.

And then disaster struck.

You see, the roads in and around Collingwood are pretty well maintained....except that they've used tar or something to fill in some cracks and potholes. Someone referred to these fillers as Snakes, because there were like lines of black down the otherwise normal roads. Apparently these Snakes get warm and tacky in the heat...and in one particular spot which I just happened to ride over, the patching job wasn't quite graded (there was a bit of an indent in the road).

The Snake's divot (for lack of a better word) caught my tire and I went tumbling. Fortunately, we were going slightly uphill at the time, so I wasn't going too fast (not that I would've been going fast anyway). My helmet took the brunt of the fall, a fact I am very grateful for. It cracked like an egg, exactly like helmets are designed to do, protecting my head in the process.

I was all set to keep going -- and did for about a minute or two...until the most experienced person in our group rightfully said "hell no" given we were about to head into the biggest descents in the ride (although she probably wouldn't have let me finish in any regard...a fact I appreciate in hindsight. She was much smarter about the whole thing than I was) ... well, she didn't put it quite that way, but that was pretty much the gist of it. She called for the support van - which came to collect me.

The driver of the van was awesome and took me into Collingwood to pick up a new helmet so I could ride on Sunday (yes I was battered, scraped and bruised...but I also knew I wanted to get right back  out there). Around the time we got back, I found out the head folks wanted me to get checked out for fear I might have a concussion.

My head felt fine, but apparently that's not a given when it comes to concussions (as many of them knew for a fact)...so I acquiesced to going to emergency because I didn't want to spend the rest of the weekend sitting around doing nothing. As someone still new to any kind of athletic endeavor (and therefore to training accidents and the injuries that go with them), I probably took the potential for serious injury pretty lightly...so glad other, more experienced folks, were there to keep me in check.

Collingwood's hospital is pretty small - although I am sure the 3 hour wait in Emergency was much less than I would've faced in Toronto. I eventually saw a Doctor who gave me a few tests, asked me a lot of questions, and said he didn't think I had a concussion. He said he wouldn't tell me not to continue with the training weekend, given my lack of symptoms...but told me to listen to my body.

Hurrah!

I gave this positive news to the folks back at the TTC..., had some food, and then headed to bed...promptly set my alarm for the 7am swim on Sunday.

Sunday dawned very early...and I was starting to get sore. Fortunately, the worst part of an injury doesn't really happen the next day...it happens the day after that. So I made it to the swim feeling like if I took it pretty easy, I'd be okay. And I did. I actually swam in a slower lane than I would've otherwise (I swim 100 in under 1:50...and was swimming in the 2-2:15 lane). I found swimming with a bunch of other people in the lane really annoying (I know we all did, so that isn't meant to be a knock on anyone), but it was good for keeping me slow and steady. I didn't push at all, until we had the 100 meter time trial.

I was lucky...given my injuries, I got to swim in my own lane for the time trial (I think the club was much more concerned about my injuries than I was...probably rightfully so). I swam the 100m in 1:26, winning my heat by 1 second, which was kind of awesome (The fastest person there was like 15 seconds faster...so don't think I was fast by any means). I felt like the last 25 was really slow given my shoulder injury, so was pretty amazed to get my best 100m time ever (I can't remember what I swam in high school, but I was pretty awful and 25 pounds heavier, so I expect it was slower).

After the swim, we had a Tim Hortons run, then it was back to the house to get ready for the next ride. This was the bigger-hill day (kind of scary, given the day before blew Sugarloaf out of the water). I decided for the shortest ride - 50k, with a couple of other girls who were about my pace (I think either could've gone faster...but they were kind enough to stick with me).

Riding that day was hard. I knew it would be...but I also knew I had to do it. I am already terrified of riding my bike and given enough time after an incident to think about it, I probably would've been even worse. So I did it.

I kept my hands gripped on the brakes the entire time. I took the down hills at a pretty timid pace. I barely changed gears (despite the crazy hills...thank goodness I have a little power if no speed) because I was too twitchy to take my hands off the brakes.

When we finished the ride (no comment on the fact we took a gravel road that turned out to be pretty treacherous), I was utterly relieved and overjoyed to make it back unscathed...or at least, no more the worse for wear than the injuries I got the day before.

When we got back, the three of us did a pretty easy 1k run, followed by a 1k walk. I admit, it was nice to run...I like the steady feel of the ground!

Later in the day, I took part in the Yoga session (which I missed the day before, since I was in Emergency), which felt pretty good after the swimming, biking, and short run.

We had a lovely dinner out as a group (and were all give a Toronto Tri Club hat and socks, which will no doubt come in handy) and then our house went back and had some pie and ice cream. Okay, there was a Beaver Tail too. ::laugh::).

On Monday, I was definitely on the sore side of sore (my shoulder hurt *a lot*)...and had had my fill of nerves for the weekend. I decided to go all in for a good run, rather than do another bike ride. I went out with a handful of other folks, my first real run with other people.

I loved it!

Okay, it was darned nice to finally, finally be good at something. (Am I allowed to say that?). A bunch of us went out, and five of us kept to the front. A few km in, one of the girls (who leads one of the Running Room Marathon Clinics I've been debating doing) turned back, only scheduled for a short-run that day (or no run, I can't remember), leaving 4 of us. One of the guys had some stomach issues, so stopped for a potty break, leaving three of us...then on one of the hills, the other girl told us to just go ahead...so I finished with one guy who was a darned good runner probably keeping it a bit easy for me.

We chatted a bit the entire way, even speeding up on the last mile or so without realizing it (a first for me). Guess running with other people really does make a difference!

I admit, the run gave me a bit of confidence back. After two hard days of biking and the accident, it was nice to do something effortlessly to end the weekend off. When I got back, it was time to pack and head home...which I did.

All in all, it was a great weekend, despite the accident which I realize now could've been a heck of a lot worse. 

Mind you, I paid for my Sunday antics the rest of the week (My shoulder is still tender a week later, I have bruises all over --I mark badly and bruises don't go away quickly--, and I came down with a cold that knocked me flat for 3 days) but I still swear by the whole getting back in the saddle approach I took.

You want proof? I said yes when offered a lift to another club ride this weekend (40k)...and while I was still very, very twitchy, I made it through without any problems.

I know I am a terrible rider right now. I also know the only way I am going to get better is by riding. And the one thing I apparently have is a thick head (or at least a thick helmet). So onwards and upwards!

Did I mention my first sprint triathlon is in 3 weeks? Yes...I think I can start to panic now.

Pacing is critical: A clear lesson from the Le Chocolat 5k

So apparently I should listen to my watch, even when I think it is lying to me.

Yesterday I ran the Le Chocolat 5k in Windsor. I went down to do the run/walk with my mom for Mother's Day, rather than going home next weekend. My mom, Angie, and Colleen (two of my brothers' significant others) decided to walk the 5k together, while I ran it. The weather was gorgeous: sunny and warm with no humidity. Perfect for running.

Maybe too perfect, actually.

When the horn went off, I ran forward with a small group of other people. I wove around a few folks (who I thought were moving slowly, but in hindsight were probably going at a smarter pace than I was.) and ended up only a few steps behind the really fast people.

I glanced at my Garmin and thought it was acting weird. It was spitting out ridiculously fast pace times: 6:10-6:20 per mile. I figured there was no way my watch was right. So I just kept running, thinking my watch would figure itself out. I hit the waterfront trail and my pace did settle...at 6:30. It was about there that I realized that maybe my watch was correct...and if it was, I was running too fast.

My growing realization was proven when I passed the first kilometer marker at 3:43 - which was a crazy number to me. In hindsight, the KM marker had to have been miss-marked. According to my Garmin, I hit 1k around 4:10.

Of course, I figured out I was running too fast too late to do much. Between 1k and 1 mile (600 meters or so), I slowed down a bit. I finished the mile in 7 minutes.

And then I slowed down a lot. During mile 2: I dropped 90 seconds. Yes, I went from a 7 minute mile to an 8:30 mile. I picked up my pace again toward the end, but by that point, I'd already learned my lesson from the race: pacing is critical.

Let me repeat that: Pacing is critical.

I finished in 22:30...but the course was only 2.9 miles according to my Garmin. So if I extrapolate time-wise, I would've finished an actual 5k around 24:05. This would've been a good time for me - 30 seconds faster than I ran in April after I got hurt, although not as fast as my 5k back in December (23:16).

But I do wonder if I'd paced myself better for the first kilometer if I'd have actually finished faster. According to my Garmin, I ran the first 400 meters at a 6:17 a mile pace...a full minute per mile faster than the pace I'd been aiming for (7:15-7:20) - and faster than I've ever recorded on my Garmin.

So - lesson learned. Glad it happened in this little almost-5k race and not in the marathon I am running this fall!
....

And now for the fun side of the race...which was still awesome, despite the fact I didn't pace myself well.

• I was running in a race with my mom. How wonderful is that? Really, that was the best part of the day. 16 months ago, I'd never have bet we'd do something like this together.
• I came in 14th out of 532 finishers! Seriously. I was 12th out of all the women (It was for Mother's Day, so the race participants were mostly women). I was also 6/173 in my age group (30-39).
• Running along the waterfront is fantastic. I need to do it more when I am in Windsor.
• It was kind of awesome to see my mom, Colleen and Angie going the other way as I was heading back. They were cheering me on - and I did the same. I think that's when I picked my pace back up a bit!
• The finish line medals looked like a half-eaten chocolate bar. Kind of awesome.
• There was a lot of chocolate at the finish-line - and every participant got a Coach purse (another reason mostly women were running)!

Dealing with Injury - don't be a doorknob

Back in March, I had probably one of the most awesome weeks of my life attending the LPC Triathlon Camp in Florida. Certainly it was the most awesome in terms of learning just what I was capable of.

Other than a few scrapes and bruises, I made it through swim sessions, 140ish miles of biking, and a wonderful 10 mile run (and a bunch of shorter ones). Really, I was feeling on top of the world and raring to go when I got home.

And then I tripped over my suitcase. I was at a hotel, my bag was on the ground, and in the middle of the night I tripped over my suitcase and ended up with a terribly painful fourth toe.

I couldn’t walk without limping pretty badly.  Running was out of the question. Swimming was out for a while because the thought of jarring my toe (either flip-turning or getting out of the pool) made me sick. So, I went from 100 miles an hour to almost nothing. I saw my trainer twice a week and I was doing a bit of biking (on a stationary bike), but that was about it.

I knew rest was important, so I coddled my toe...ice, elevation, the works. It was just a toe, so I figured there wasn't any point in going to the doctor. I just decided to give it a few weeks of rest.

Okay, fine. I'll be honest. The truth was that I didn’t go because I didn’t want to hear my toe was broken and I really should be avoiding running for 6 weeks.

And my method seemed to work pretty well. At least until, when my foot was feeling better, I decided to test it on a treadmill over Easter weekend. This was a full two weeks later. That run felt pretty good, so I decided slow and steady would be fine. So the next day I tried another short run…and just about died.

Not really, of course - but whatever I did was too much and knocked me back almost right to where I started. I was limping again. My toe hurt. Even the ball of my foot hurt.

With my first race coming up (the 5k Race to End Homelessness…see two posts previous for my race report), I knew I needed to go to the Doctor. I now needed to know if the toe was broken because if it was, I knew I couldn't race on it. I also realized that I needed help figuring out the right way to get back to running.

Much to my absolute joy, the Doctor said the toe wasn’t broken. Instead, I’d strained a ligament in the toe. Verdict: It would take a while to heal fully, it would ache for a long time, but I could run on it. The doctor suggested taping the toe to another one (Buddy taping) – and just running on feel. If it was achy, fine. If it hurt – stop.

Now – 4 weeks since the Doctor visit, my toe is almost fully healed. I am still taping it (it is still tender at times so I know it’s not quite perfect yet), but I finally feel good enough to pick my running back up again. I proved that with the most recent 10k I did.

So what’s the verdict of this story?

• If you get injured – and it’s still bugging you after a few days (after generous amounts of RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) – go to the doctor. I was afraid of what I was going to hear (probably a very common issue with athletes), so I avoided it until I realized I had no choice.  If I’d been told it was a ligament strain right from the get-go and had taped it right from the beginning, maybe I’d have recovered a bit faster (probably not much faster…but still).
  
• Be careful ramping back up – I thought I was going easy when I did a second run the day after testing my foot/toe the first time. Apparently, what I thought was easy was definitely not, since I got set back at least a week. After seeing the Doctor, I was smarter about it. I ran the 5k in Florida without a watch, knowing I’d stop or slow if I felt I needed to. The next two weeks, I only ran 3 days a week (which is my usual), and kept the pace very easy. I did one 10k run before my first 10k race, and it was at a very easy pace. I mentally went into the Yonge St. 10k with the belief I was using it as a test run. If I needed to go slower, then I would. After doing that successfully – I am only now stepping up my training by introducing longer runs and speed work. So, take the time you need to make sure you don’t hurt yourself again.
  
• Be willing to adjust your training plan - I have a bunch of races planned this year – from 5ks to a marathon and triathlons. After getting hurt, I realized it was better to take my April races easy – than to push hard and get re-injured.  So I adjusted. I signed up for similar races in May, so I could use my April races for training/testing. 
  
• Don't be a doorknob - Sure, you can be worried about “what if?” when you get hurt…but don’t let the worry keep you from finding out the truth about what’s wrong. It’s not the X-files. Better to get the truth and go on from there.

I’m a klutz. I expect I’ll end up with more bizarre injuries (hopefully not before big races). Here's hoping I don't forget not to be a doorknob in the future because I love what I am doing right now. I’ve learned that I love running and training and racing. If I’m going to keep doing these things for a good long time, then I need to be smart about what I do when things go wrong.

Similar to going to camp to learn triathlon techniques, when it comes to recovery from injury, I need to pay attention to the people who know best…and not Google Search (Of course I didn’t use that when I first injured myself…cough).

Race Report: Toronto Yonge Street 10k

Wow. I am writing a race report only one day after the race. How amazing is that? Maybe I should wait a few weeks to post it. Or not!

So, yesterday I ran the Yonge Street 10k. Originally, I’d planned for this to be my big 10k of the year (same course as the Sporting Life 10k – which was my first race ever and my running benchmark - just a few weeks earlier), but after spraining a ligament in my toe (and several weeks of almost no running), I decided to make this, like the Race to End Homelessness 5k two weeks ago, a test run. Given a good result, I’d then make the Sporting Life 10k my big effort if all worked according to plan.

I woke up around 6am and had half an English muffin, a tiny bit of peanut butter, half a banana, and a coffee. My stomach had been off for the few days ahead of the race, so I was iffy about eating, but knew I needed something.

I spent a good 30 minutes trying to figure out what to wear. I’d laid out my race clothes the night before, but the morning of the race was -2 – a bit colder than I was planning for. In the end, I went with my plan (capri running shorts, a tee shirt and arm warmers)…at least until I got to the start and was way too cold. Fortunately, I had a light running jacket in my bag check bag, so I traded the arm warmers for the jacket and repined both my Official Bib and my “Runners United In Support of Boston” bib (which I wore on my back…along with many of the other thousands of other runners).

Had a nice chat with another woman in the line for the port-a-potties, and then went off to my start corral. Somewhere in there I also did a bit of a warm up (1/2k jog and some dynamic stretching), although I am sure I should’ve done more. That’s what I get for wasting so much time on clothing choices! Although it was really cold…wonder if all the hopping I did in the start corral counts as warming up? At least it got my heart rate up!

I was in the first corral (not including the Hand-cycle participants who actually started first), so had a pretty good spot to hear the welcome speeches. There was also a moment of silence in memory of what happened at the Boston Marathon. It was nicely done.

The race itself was awesome. There’s really nothing at all like running down Yonge Street with a thousand other people.

My stomach was not happy most of the race (I’d had something of a stomach bug in the days leading up to yesterday). I was just glad it never got bad enough to really affect my pace. Thank goodness!

Mind you, my little stomach troubles were nothing when I saw people in Boston Marathon jackets. Every time I saw them (some were running, some were along the course cheering), I’d run faster. Seeing those jackets was like a shot of adrenaline. Every time I saw one I remembered how lucky I was to be running that day.

I expect every time I see a Boston Marathon jacket for a good long time to come, I will have the exact same response: I will recall what happened there and be reminded of how very, very lucky I am to be able to run.

My final time for the race was 48:40. This was 3 minutes and 22 seconds faster than last year. I was utterly thrilled. I honestly don’t think I could’ve done better than I did. In terms of stats…my time put me:

·         43 out of 533 in my age group of Women 30-34 (top 8%).

·         261 out of 3089 of all women (top 8.5%); and

·         1184 out of 5610 overall participants (top 21%).

Aside: Can you tell I love stats and measuring my progress? I know I am crazy that way – but for me it is part of the fun of it all. I run because I love it. I keep track of my progress (I immediately download my Garmin after every run and compare it to other runs of the same distance) because I wouldn’t believe how much I’ve improved otherwise!  And on that note, I was happy to see that I ran every mile of this race faster than every mile of my previous 2 10k races!)

After crossing the finish line, I got my medal and some nice goodies (the best of which was a great promo race shirt for registering early) and walked a mile and a half to the subway for my trip home.

Final reflective thoughts

What happened at the BostonMarathon was a tragedy – in reality, there is no word strong enough for how awful it was. But running is a gift and one that should be celebrated. And that’s what racing does. It lets you celebrate your achievements, your training, your progress. No matter where you are or how fast or slow you go – you are moving forward. That is worthy of celebrating and supporting – and everyone running in the race today – and the people wearing Boston Marathon jackets and cheering on the streets – knew it.

Never forget what happened in Boston or the people whose lives were changed forever because of it. But don’t let fear ever keep you from moving forward.

Race Report: 5k Race to End Homelessness - Hollywood, Fl.

I signed up for this race back when I decided to go on a cruise. I figured since I was probably going to do a run that day before boarding anyway, why not do the run in a race along the beach?

Of course, at the time I didn’t realize I was going to sprain a ligament in my toe a few weeks before and have only run twice between March 16^th and April 6^th…but I was still in good spirits. After all, my plane got in after midnight – so I was running the race on 5 hours of sleep anyway. It wasn’t like I’d have been in prime running form in any event – so a toe injury at least gave me a good excuse as to my slowness.

I got up around 6:30 in the morning and ordered a cab. While I waited, I took a quick shower to wake up and I taped my two end toes together (got that advice from a doctor the day before, so I was hoping it was going to work).

I wasn’t sure exactly where I was going, so I wanted to get there early. Being 6:30, I had no trouble getting a ride. On the way out the door, I managed to snag a banana from the front desk (they had a basket of free fruit) and I ate a granola bar. Truth be told, I really could have used something more substantial!

I decided to run this race without my Garmin because I didn’t want to feel pressured into running faster than my foot could manage. I also forgot my iPod (I told people it was intentional, but in reality…I just forgot to bring it with me to the race).

Got to Charnow Park and found packet pick up. For such a small race, the atmosphere was very nice. Since they didn’t have a bag check, I managed to convince their registration folks to watch my bag (which only had a shirt and the freebies I was given in it…I kept my phone/money on me).

Had a really nice chat with an older gentleman running the race that lived nearby. That and a brief warm up (mostly dynamic stretching and a little jogging…I figured I didn’t want to hurt my toe before the start) and it was time to toe the line.

I lined up about fourth row back from the front, which seemed like a good choice given where the race director was suggesting people stand.

I started pretty well, although was quickly caught up by my foot which was definitely bothering me most of the way. I felt like every step took forever. The foot wasn’t painful though – just sore. Which meant the taping was holding up pretty well. I figured I was just a bit low on endurance after a few weeks not running, plus it was quite humid, which always slows me down.

The race ran right down a road alongside the beach for a good mile – which was lovely. It wasn’t a closed course, so I had to dodge around pedestrians a fair bit – but that wasn’t a big deal.

Made it to the 1 mile mark around 7:45 (they had timing signs), which I figured was pretty good for going slowly. I slowed down a fair bit coming into the turnaround, and then the return trip seemed like it was a long way. I could see the finish line, but it felt like it kept moving backwards! Funny how that works.

I saw 24 min on the clock from a ways away and tried to speed up for the finish (although I didn’t speed up much, I am sad to say, my foot was worn out). Final time was 24:26.

Overall, I felt pretty good with my result, especially given I hadn’t really run much (i.e. twice) since my tri camp a month ago. I also was trying to pace myself conservatively (hence not having my watch on).

So you can probably see why I was a bit tickled pink when I won 2^nd place in my Age Group. I even got a shiny medal to take home! My first ever running award – for my first timed 5k (my December one where I finished in 23:16 was unofficial).

Guess that’s a big benefit of running in a small race!

Mind you, my excitement was a bit short lived. The first announcement they made following the race was to say that a man in his 50s had been rushed to the hospital with a heart attack and had passed away.

It was heartbreaking. The day was so perfect, that I couldn’t imagine it having such an unexpected awful end for someone and for his family.

Aside: I am writing this post-Boston. It’s hard to reflect on a man’s heart attack during a race, remembering what happened at the Boston Marathon – on what was, or so I’ve heard, another perfect day –a day that was supposed to be one of celebration for so many runners, and yet turned into such a tragedy.

But on that day in Florida, that man’s death struck me hard. I didn’t know him. I didn’t see him fall. But I felt immensely sad about what happened. And when for the first time in my life I won a 50/50 draw, I didn’t feel like I could take the proceeds given the circumstances. So I asked the race organizers to donate the money (about $250) to the man’s family. I figured they could either use the money if it was need it, or donate it themselves in the gentleman’s memory. At the very least, I hoped his family would know that people, even strangers, cared about their loss.

After the race, I walked about a mile to find a hotel where I could get a cab…and then had to wait almost 45 min for the cab to pick me up. Turned out there was a taxi strike…so my ability to get a cab in the early morning hours was quite misleading. But I eventually got a driver and made it back to my hotel. I didn’t mind the wait. In truth, I think I needed the time to reflect.

The lesson I learned that day is one that carried me through the horrifying news about Boston:

Life is a gift. Don’t waste even a day of it.

Top Lessons from the LPC Triathlon Training Camp

At the end of my last post, I was on quite a high from a very successful experience at the LPC Triathlon Training Camp in Florida. Looking back, I am so glad I got up the courage to go. I learned so much from the coaches and other campers, that I am going to go  into the triathlon season this
summer feeling both energized and confident that I'll do well.

Well, well for me of course. I don't have any delusions of grandeur. I just want to finish all the triathlons I do with a smile on my face and the knowledge that I am out there doing awesome things.

I've had a bunch of people ask me what I learned at the camp...and I've been spending the past couple of weeks thinking about it (and being completely overwhelmed by real life...hence the delay in this post).

Looking back, I can honestly say that I learned a lot of great skills and drills related to swim, bike, run - and I got a lot of opportunities to practice, especially on my bike (which I desperately needed). The coaches were all top notch, enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable about their respective areas and triathlon in general. All of them were very willing to talk and provide feedback, advice and suggestions.

 But I also learned a lot of other things that weren't necessarily in the camp description - some about me, and some about triathlon...

So...in no particular order, the top lessons I learned at the LPC Triathlon Training Camp include:

1. Wow, the whole cyclical nature of training really works. Looking back, it is easier to see just how the sessions earlier in the week provided a foundation for the last couple of days. Sure it was just a week, but given how many different people were at the camp - the structure really worked - seemingly for everyone.
2. Triathletes are a really nice bunch. Seriously. I've never met a nicer group of people all at once. Everyone was enthusiastic, supportive and nice - no matter who they were or what their experience was.
3. Training in adverse conditions isn't necessarily a bad thing. I doubt I'd ever have gone out riding in the rain like we did that one day at camp. But since I was there, I wasn't going to miss a session, rain or not. Now I realize that riding in adverse conditions isn't actually a bad thing. After all, what if it rains on race day? It's a pretty terrifying feeling riding along with rain practically keeping you from seeing anything. Better to have at least some experience early - so you don't panic later.
4. I really need to buy one of those Aero water bottles that has a straw. It might take me years to learn to grab a water bottle off my bike..and really, water is kind of important. Something easily accessible would be awesome.
5. Swim starts in a group are crazy. We practiced some swim starts over the course of the week, and one day I managed to elbow one of the guys in the face and knock his goggles off. I had no idea I'd done it and needless to say apologized profusely after the fact (although I'm apparently never going to live down the fact I didn't even notice I'd done it). But there's definitely a lesson there. I expect I'll eventually be on the receiving end of a knock myself...so maybe it's important to think about what to do "if" scenarios. Or I can just keep my elbows up high. :)
6. I'm not a pretender. I went into this camp worrying that I was going to be seen as a pretender. I'm an idiot. I fit in just fine and really need to get over the "I am not a real athlete" mentality. Done. There. Gone.
7. The Sugarloaf Climb isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I was seriously worried about this climb because I'd heard so much about it. In reality, I got to the top of a series of hills (yes, Florida has them)...and found out I was there...trust me, if you're reading this wondering if you can do it...you can. The challenge is actually getting home afterwards because your legs will be exhausted from the hills!
8. I have way more endurance than I thought I did. I am still blown away by having done a 10 mile run followed by a 40 mile ride on the same day...and not being toast afterwards. I actually got up the next day and did an easy 6k run. Really! How awesome is that? I never would've dared do the two workouts on the same day on my own...but now I've done it - I kind of feel like I can do anything.
9. Learning from experienced coaches makes a world of difference. I learned more in a week than I'd have learned in years on my own. More importantly, now that I am home, I can keep working on the different drills that I was taught - so I can do triathlons this summer with much more confidence. Sure, you can read books - but having access to real, knowledgeable coaches is worth it's weight in gold. I can now see why people hire coaches to help them over the course of a season.
10. Have fun! I had a blast at camp. Sure, I went in wanting to learn stuff - but it was darned fun, too. Even during the harder sessions (the rain being the worst), I was smiling. Why do something if you don't love it? Fortunately for me, the camp just helped me realize how much I enjoy training, learning, and pushing myself. I am already looking forward to next year.